f?llen from God; destitute of that image of' God, righteousaess and true holiness, in which he was created; and deeply guilty through innu- merable transgressions. To him, in this state, the question, ' What must I do to be saved ?' is of infinite importance :' as through his fuJfte?s he is unfit for heaven; and, through his Am?lt, exposed to the bitter pains of an eternal death. "In A?s mouth the question resol?-es itself into several: 1. How shall I be delivered from the potoff' of ?n, that it may no longer have dom/,?n over me ? 2. How shall [ be delivered from the g?ilt of that it may no longer opp?ss my tortured constance ? 3. How shall be delivered fwm the pollut? of z4n, and be prepared for, and entitled to, everlasting glory ? "Will any man say to this alarmed and despairing sinner, ' Then must purchase thy pardon, and the kingdom of heaven, by a life of righteousness: God requires obedience to his law; and that, joined to sincere repentance, will induce him to forgive thy iniquities, and admit thee at last to his eternal glory7' Of what avail are such sayings? �Gan this satisfy hi8 soul, or quiet the clamours of his tormenting con- science ? He feels himself incalmble of' any good: his 'inward parts 8re very wickedness; and though he can w/ll that which is right, yet how to perform it he finds not. Can evenSend ?o/? lay comfortable hold on such directions as these ? But, as this question is too impor- tant to admit of hasty and unauthorized conclusions, we must examine the ground of the hope which is held out on these terms. "Though man's ?tate has c]?a;,ged, his dut?/is not ctM?/?ed; he is still under the ?a,ne la,v; it is as much his duty ,o,v to ' love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength,' as it was the first moment he came out of the hands of his Creator. What ,v? his dutF tAe,l, must be his duty tA?ough the whole course of his being. To fulfil this ori- ginal law required a pure and holy soul, untainted by sin, and unbiased by iniquity. But, instead of a heart filled with holiness and love, he has now that cornal mind ,vAicA is env it?t to God; a mind that is pot ],d?j?ct to tl?e law of God, fi?t? ?ndced c?rn be. To him, therefbre, this obedience is utterly impossible; he cannot cleanse his own infected nature; and he cannot undo the criminal acts which he has alre?d%- committed; and having broken the divine law, the wrath of God abi(?- eth on him. We have already proved that the most pure and perfect obedience cannot purchase ?,lo?; and the same arguments will prore that the most perfect obedience cannot purchase pardon. Man owes every moment of his existence, and the full and constant exercise of all his powers, unto God. Cpuld he even now live as pure and as perfect as an areAangel, this would be no more than his duff; and, in point of duty, it would only be available for the t?ne in which it was (lone; for, as every creature owes to its Creator the utmost service it can possibly perform through every moment of its being, therefore this obedience does not merit any thing in reference to the future: and if it have sinned, cannot atone for the past; the time in which it has sinned must stand as an eternal blank, in which all its obedience was d?e, and in which none was perf?ed. The nonperformance of its duty is such a high degree of criminality as to obliterate its title to the divine protection, support, and happiness; and the sins which it has 1
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